The “novel and very innovative approach” employed by farmers in ALUS projects was the key to getting a $5-million grant that will expand the reach of the organization, says Bryan Gilvesy, an Ontario rancher and CEO of the non-profit.

Farmer-driven stewardship organization gets major funding boost

ALUS gets $5 million for expansion and to find a better way to measure carbon sequestration

Reading Time: 3 minutes A new $5-million initiative aims to find a better way to measure the carbon that Canadian farmers sequester in the soil to make sure they’re being paid fairly for the ecosystem services they produce on their land. “Despite what you might hear, carbon quantification in Canada is not very well advanced,” said Bryan Gilvesy, CEO […] Read more

A federal grant covered half the cost of this new $200,000 air cart, which has made his family’s farm more efficient and cut diesel consumption substantially, said Mackenzie Fingerhut.

The federal government sows cash to reap environmental rewards

Millions are being given to farms to lower greenhouse gas emissions but applying isn’t quick and easy

Reading Time: 3 minutes The federal government continues to distribute millions of dollars to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from farms, but the application process is time consuming, says a successful applicant. Under the Agricultural Clean Technology program, 47 farms and ag businesses recently received a total of $15.2 million in grants for solar panels, energy-efficient grain dryers and […] Read more


Ribbon Creek Ranch garners top award

Reading Time: < 1 minute Ribbon Creek Ranch is the 2022 winner of Alberta Beef Producers’ Environmental Stewardship Award, which shines a spotlight on producers “whose natural resource stewardship practices contribute to the environment and enhance productivity and profitability.” The mixed cow-calf and grain farm with a backgrounding operation is located near Linden, on land purchased by Jerry Baerg’s grandfather […] Read more

Environmental measures to be studied

Environmental measures to be studied

Reading Time: < 1 minute Old College’s Smart Farm has been given a $440,000 federal grant for research on livestock production — specifically to “test products and technologies for improving environmental sustainability and climate change resiliency in Western Canada.” The money will be used by the college’s Technology Access Centre for Livestock Production, specifically a 308-acre site at Pitstra Farm […] Read more


Tillage radish is one of the species that Brady Valgardson uses in his cover crops.

Cover cropping program looks to encourage innovation 

The program is quite flexible, says head of the provincial agency administering funding

Reading Time: 2 minutes The feds are putting up $33 million to encourage Alberta farmers to adopt three practices that can lower greenhouse gas emissions: rotational grazing, 4R fertilizer practices, and cover cropping.  Alberta’s share of the $183-million On-Farm Climate Action Fund program is being administered by Results Driven Agriculture Research, the provincial research funding agency.  Although details are […] Read more

At the heart of the issue of greenhouse gas emissions is laying responsibility at the feet of industries that produce gases which have a long-term warming effect.

Schoepp: It’s time to dispel a key myth about cattle and greenhouse gases 

We can reduce cattle emissions but the focus should be on the real source of atmospheric warming

Reading Time: 3 minutes On the small island of Meares off the West Coast of Canada there is a herd of wild cattle. They are a cross of Shorthorn, Hereford and Jersey and the offspring resemble a long-legged red and white calf. What is unique about these cattle is their diet. Just as the coastal wolves are fishing wolves, […] Read more


The Rosebud River Valley is home to native grasses, wildlife, birds — and some female farm leaders who have worked hard to conserve it.

STRONG STEWARDS: Women ‘a driving force’ in conservation efforts

Stewardship isn’t gender specific but female farmers are often champions of sustainable practices

Reading Time: 5 minutes Elaine Bellamy has known from the time she was a small girl — there’s something special about the land at Will Farms. “When I was a five-year-old girl, I decided to take a spoon outside and have a taste of the dirt,” the Rosebud-area farmer recalled with a laugh. “Apparently, I thought it was pretty good, […] Read more

Many producers are already using rotational grazing and 4R practices, but now Ottawa is sweetening the pot for Alberta producers with $33 million worth of incentives.

An open road ahead? Feds offer cash for fertilizer stewardship

Farmers could get up to $75,000 to move to rotational grazing, cover cropping or 4R stewardship

Reading Time: 5 minutes Upping your management game just got a lot more attractive. Producers willing to adopt rotational grazing, 4R fertilizer stewardship or cover crops will be able to get as much as $75,000 per farm from Ottawa’s On-Farm Climate Action Fund. [Read more] Feds seek ideas and feedback on reducing fertilizer emissions “The objective of the program […] Read more


A federal government discussion paper isn’t going to order farmers to use less fertilizer.

Feds seek ideas and feedback on reducing fertilizer emissions

Survey accompanied by document saying technology, better practices can cut emissions by 30 per cent

Reading Time: 3 minutes The federal government is inviting Canadians to “share your experiences and ideas” on its plan to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizer use. But Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s survey is different from a typical poll because it steers participants to first consider backgrounders on three “discussion issues” and then offer comments in their own […] Read more

PHOTOS: The case for cutting N2O fertilizer emissions

PHOTOS: The case for cutting N2O fertilizer emissions

The federal government wants farmers to cut nitrous oxide emissions by 30 per cent

Reading Time: < 1 minute The charts included in this gallery are from a federal government document that lays out the case for cutting GHG emissions from fertilizer use in Canada by 30 per cent by 2030. It can be found at the Government of Canada website at ‘Share ideas: Fertilizer emissions reduction target.’